atb

Let's face it, regardless of how well the body is designed for impact the bottom line is that anytime you pilot your 928 you're straddling a half ton battering ram. (Jadz pics show it all) How can that not be a good thing? It would be interesting to see a 928 in a chain rear-ender. I picture seeing all of the cars in front and behind it looking like little ***** of crumpled tin foil, and the 928 occupants opening the doors, stepping out, and inspecting the front and rear damage to their shark.

Hilton

http://www.landsharkoz.com/evolution.htm#83

the line "Side protectors standard" - however, given the link from tv, I suspect I'm wrong and that refers to the rub-strips.

axis of evil

All cars sold new in Australia (all makes all models) have to have side impact bars fitted in the doors , It's an Australian design rule requirement, I think it applied from 1977 or 78.
All private imports since that date have to have them retro fitted (if they don't have them) pre-registration.
Anything manufactured before the ADR date is OK without them. so all 928's in Oz "should" have them.

FUSE69

While the 928 is a fantastic car and at the time it was designed, extremely safe... by todays standards it is pretty poor.
Particularly with regards to side impact...
Using todays standards, I would be suprised if the 928 could achieve a 1 star NCAP rating...
Remember of course... this is with a view point to passenger saftey.... not how the car visually appears after a crash...

Side impact with a tree... not sure of the speed... broken pelvis...

Hilton

He was doing 69/70 mph by GPS when he lost control. Note that the staved-in door is the driver's door too (UK car, RHD).

You can read all about it in this thread here:

https://rennlist.com/forums/928-foru...-safe-car.html

Oh, the driver posts in the thread too.. post #80.

FredR

Irrespective of what NCAP rating the 928 might or might not have, how many of today's cars do you think that driver would have come out alive in? Not many I suspect. That damage was caused by one hell of a lateral thump.

If I was to repeat the crash I had in my late 1990 S4 when some chump on a mobile clipped my rear quarter when I was overtaking him, I can't think of another car I would rather be in other than a GTS with an air bag fitted that would have cushioned the impact possibly mitigating the broken lumbar vertebra that I suffered not to mention the whiplashed neck. US spec models had them before European peasantry! My 928 hit the concrete barriers at the side of the road about three quarters on at about 70+ mph. After recovering conciousness the door opened as though nothing had happened.

There is only so much manufacturer's can do when they build a car and I reckon the 928 is as good as it gets. Side impacts happen but statistically, way less frequently I would think.

Regards

Fred R

Roy928tt

"US spec models had them before European peasantry"

Only because the rest of the world was prepared to be told to wear seatbelts, because they save lives, and not argue that, this is the land of the free and the brave and we will not be told to wear seatbelts!

So now the rest of the world has airbags and cup holders foisted apon it !

Thank you America

Cheers Roy

blown 87

America says your welcome.

Nicole

The trouble with safety is that you can't see it on a car in front of you.

Engineers can design and test it, and hopefully, if you ever need it, it will work as designed and tested. But that's about it.

Today they have much more advanced methods of designing and testing. They can even make small cars safer than older large ones.



While the 928 was well designed and very safe for its time, I don't think it is still even close to the leading edge.

It certainly isn't when it comes to repair ability after a crash - most 928s are totaled even after minor impacts.

So, let's be realistic: The 928 is a 35 year old design, and we have to admit to ourselves that advances have been made in the meantime that could not be retrofitted, such as high strength steel profiles for certain structural elements, or modular crash boxes (easier to repair). Others came-up too late to be feasible: side airbags, belt tensioners.

tv

The purpose of the 928 is high performance sportscar, not a family hauler. Compared to what I have seen in today's top line sports cars vs. the accident reports of 928's I have seen over the years - I will put my money on a 928.

I have seen way too many ferrari's splitting in half and bursting into flames to feel they have made any progress.

How would you get out of a lambo with scissor doors if it flipped over? The awesome CGT has a spotty record too.



The totaling of these cars IMO is more the result of the LOWBALL buyer syndrome talked about many times here. With such a low value on 928's, it is a profit motive for insurers to just total the car. That is why I do not like the beating down of prices that happens to 928's. I mentioned this years ago. The parking lot thread is a perfect example.



I feel extremely safe in the 928, in fact it is the only car I know of where I enjoy wearing a seatbelt and can not budge much when in it.

A nice feature would be side curtain airbags.





Edit: I have been around some Lambo's and I can tell you it always bothered me how little was in front of the drivers feet in those cars, maybe 1 foot of lightweight car between any oncoming object and your body. In any head-on collision with that massive engine behind you, you are going to be the meat in a massive metal sandwich. I'll take the front engine battering ram 928 over that.

blown 87

We have also seen some Ferrari's broken in half after high speed crashes where the driver literally walked away.

jayc67

That's more an effect of very low values than design of the car. If they were still six figure cars you would see many more repairs than totals.

In today's dollars my '87 would sticker at around $140,000. It would take a LOT of damage to total that car if new.

mickster

I wonder if the Aussie ones could be found and retrofit to non-Aussie doors...

blown 87

Of course they could be, but why would any one want to?
You could just take the bars out if you wanted to do something like a cage to take its place.

IcemanG17

the 928 had excellent safety for when it was designed (70's)...sure they added airbags-ABS-door bars...and it still isn't "bad" but is it not "safe" compared to modern cars.....thats just evolution.... they were ahead of their time, but time always marches on...... Just like how 928's were too big and too heavy..but 911's today are almost exactly the same size-weight-power-luxury features as the 928 back then....

Still I don't feel unsafe driving a 928 on the road......do I feel as safe as my Acura or BMW...no, but far better than most cars....